BMW M3 GT2 Races onto the Front Cover of Need for Speed Shift from EA

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Cover car announced for new Need for Speed.

By IGN Staff

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Start your engines! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Need for Speed SHIFT will feature 18 authentic race tracks and over 65 pixel-perfect cars including the one-of-a-kind BMW M3 GT2 that will grace the cover. The spectacular SHIFT cover car is one of the fastest, most powerful cars ever to be featured in a Need for Speed game. Designed to deliver a true drivers experience, SHIFT boasts legendary cars from the past 35 years, each one modelled to deliver an incredible sense of speed and realism.

At Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, gamers will also get a first look at a wide spectrum of the seminal performance machines in the game, including classic cars like the 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R, renowned tuners like 1995 Mazda RX-7, and ultra-exclusive exotic cars like the 2007 Lamborghini Reventón. The best way to show off these hot rides is to take them for a spin on the track. Need for Speed SHIFT features over 50 unique layouts across 18 tracks including real-world locations and fictional circuits. Players can race on world-renowned tracks like the grueling 20 km Nordschleife or meticulously-designed fictional circuits found in Glendale with its steep grades, hairpin corners and blind crests.

"Need for Speed SHIFT is about the intense power and emotion of being behind the wheel and this carefully selected list of cars and tracks was chosen to give players the ultimate driving moment," said Patrick Soderlund, Senior Vice President at EA Games Europe. "SHIFT is the evolution of racing genre. We're delivering the first truly immersive driving game by combining perfectly modelled cars and tracks with the dramatic realism of the true driver's experience."

Need for Speed SHIFT is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and Patrick Soderlund. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) version is being developed by EA's Bright Light studio.

Need for Speed SHIFT is scheduled to ship in Europe on September 17 and in North America on September 22 on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PC and PSP. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com or follow us on Twitter at @NeedforSpeed. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.